The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-07-08

day morning, Rev. Alt officiating. His
wife and four little children are left In
destitute circumstances.
WE CELEBRATED.

Well, it was a gorgeous old Fourth
of July that we had here in lola last
Monday. 1t began at midnight and
it lasted till MISUNDERSTANDING our
by at least five hours. And
it was full of noise, any amount of
noise, no end of noise, noise until you
rest. Aud it was full Of flags
too, and bright faces and good things
to eat and drums and trumpets and fire
crackers. And the small boy! Like u
certain dark complexioned individual
spoken IF in the Bible, his
name was Legion. He was at all
times in all places. He knew the day
was his own but he was afraid some
body would claim it. So he got up at
midnight and took possession Of it.
And he held possession all day, armed
with terrors and lightnings. He has
been doing just this sort Of thing for a
hundred years and he knows to a dot
how it ought to be done. When the
day ended he was probably more or
less disfigured, but that did not con-
Germ him, that was for his elders to
look after, and he will be in the ring
again next year as fresh as ever. But
if thesmall boy terrified US there were
the steam boat and the circular swing
and the refreshment stands and the
KickapoOs and the brass band and the
orator to divert and instruct us. And
then When it rained-for it did rain,
rumors to the contrary notwithstand-
ing-how We laughed at each other
and at ourselves! What a spectacle
we presented, huddled in groups of two
and three and four, vainly thinking,
like the bird of the desert, to hide our
selves by thrusting our head under the
but feeble and limited protec-
ton of an umbrella or parasol. And
how our spirits and our feathers
and founces dropped as we gradually
realized that we were not all head.
How funny it was for the first half
hour or so to see us-part of us
gathering our starched skirts around
Us and tiptoeing daintily about
lest our new shoes should lose
their lustre; and then after another
half hour or so to see us-the same
part of us-"traipsing" nonchalantly
through water ankle deep. careless of
lustre and thoughtless q starch, hav-
ing reached the very philosophical con-
;lusion that we might as we'll "grin"
since we had to "bear it," And how
good it was of that young couple who
aad no protection-except their cheek,
which was the admired of all admirers
70 stand out and sing for US with such
ceiling and tenderness Occurring in the
Rain" and other touching and
apropos ballads. 1t was all vastly
look back upon. Even
The sun had to come out and look
1t US and laugh before it con-
sinued on to do business at the old
stand in China. Then the night came
md brought the fireworks with their
violet and indigo and blue and green
md yellow and orange and red lights;
With their balloons floating off like va
grant stars; and their rockets, rushing
Kissing and raging with
trail of splendor, dying, then, in a
'urst of glory, and dropping, black
md sullen to the pitehy earth; with
heir thick sulphurous smoke wrap
ping us about like the pail of a battle
ield. And then as we went home the
ImOke lifted and vanished and we saw
lbove us the full, clear moon and all
he starry hosts. the fireworks of the
Universe, that nightly through all the
'ges have given their grand display
noise or smoke or tumult or
confusion. And somehow this eternal
;almness was soothing to nerves that
lnwonted doings and sayings and
lights and sounds had somewhat irri.
afed and Wa alent